Bicycle.



Patented Aug. 29, I899. H. TUTTLE.

BICYCLE. (Application filed July 13. 1898.)

2 sheets sheet 2,

No. 6 3l,974.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I-IOSMER TUTTLE, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SHELLEY TUTTLE, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,974, dated August 29, 1899. Application filed July 13, 1898. Serial No. 685,865. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOSMER TU TTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Movements for Bicycles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to mechanical movements intended mainly for the propulsion of bicycles to take the place of the chain now generally used on safety-bicycles, and thereby reduce the expense and the amount of friction.

Although the construction of the movement can be used in connection with other machines, it is shown in the drawings in'connection with a bicycle, the frame of which may be of any suitable form. It comprises cranks and crank-pins on the axle of the hind wheel, a double or compound sprocket-wheel on the axle of the pedal-shaft, and forked or divergent connecting-rods to unite said axles, and

is thereby related to the construction described in Patent No. 564,665, granted to me July 28, 1896; but in this improvement the interlocking sprocket Wheel or wheels are provided with antifriction-rollers and the ends of the forked or divergent connecting-rods are provided with hooked or open-jaw connections adapted to rock in said ends, each one of said hooked rocking connections having also an arm provided with a pivotal support, the rocking of the connections facilitating the noiseless entrance of the sprocket-rollers into said hooked connections and their issue therefrom, and also to compensate for the inequalities of speed of the connecting-rods due to the rear cranks motion, and thus obtain uniform motion of the sprocket-wheel. Other new features will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of a bicycle provided with a mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention, but showing only one of the forked or divergent connecting rods. Fig. 2 represents on a larger scale a top View, partly in section, of the mechanism. Fig. 3 represents a side view of the mechanism on one side of the machine with the casing of the sprocket-wheel in section, the rear-wheel crank being in its rear;- most position. Fig. 4 represents on a larger scale a transverse vertical section of the mechanism on a line passing through the pedal crank-shaft. Fig. 5 is ahorizontal section through the rear end of one pair of the forked or divergent connecting-rods on one side of the machine. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the rear end of one member of a pair of connecting-rods. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of one'of the open-jaw connections. Fig. 8 is a side view of the double or compound sprocket-wheel having a central hub-plate constituting one of the bearings for the friction-rollers on both sides thereof, but having the friction-rollers located on one side thirtydegrees in the rear of the opposite side. Fig. 9 is an enlarged View of the upper half of the frame and parts shown in Fig. 3.

In said drawings, A represents the forked seat-carrying standard of the frame, and A the braces between the crank-shaft I), carrying the pedals B and also the two parts 0 and c of the sprocket-wheel, and the rear-wheel crank-axle d. The central portion of said axle d is tubular and constitutes the hub for the vhind wheel E. Said axle d has its ends received in ball-bearings a mounted in the rear ends of the braces A and protected by caps a which serve also as a lock-nut for the ballways. Each end of the axle d has a crankarm (1 and each end of the hub of the wheel E has a similar crank-arm 6 but the arms 6 are set at an angle of ninety degrees to each other. The arms d e of each crank are united by a tubular crank-pin D, and a bolt D passing through said arms and through the crankpin, secures these parts together until it is desired to remove the wheel E for repairs. The pin D is grooved circumferentially to obtain a ball-bearing way to receive .the' inner face of the balls of the ball-bearing around it, and said balls are inclosed by the eye in the rear end of each branch of each forked connecting-rod.

The double sprocket-wheel is located in the center of the length of the crank-shaft b of the pedals. It consists, preferably, of two skeleton triangular plates 0 and 0 each having the angular ends or sprockets c at equal distances apart; but the sprockets of one plate are so timed relatively to the sprockets c of the other plate as to be about thirty degrees in the rear of each one of them. Between the triangular plates there is a hubplate 0 having three T-headed arms, and the ends of said arms constitute one of the supports for the bearing-pin of each roller r of the sprocket-wheehwhile the arms on the triangular plates constitute the other supports for the other end of said bearing-pins, said arms being outwardly bent for the accommodation of the rollers r. The hubs of the sprocket-wheel plates 0 C and of the middle hub-plate c constitute together a compound sprocket-wheel, which is secured with bolts to a circular collar projecting from a sleeve 6, screwed on the inner ends of the two parts of the crank-shaft I). Said sleeve has secured upon each one of its ends the inner ring 7 of ball-bearings, while the cones 8 of the outer ring of said bearings are screwed to the inner face of the eye or bearing-box 9, uniting the braces A and A The outer portion of the bottom of said eye is grooved and .partially split and its ends united together by a bolt 18 to clamp the cone-rings.

To the inner face of each eye 9 is secured an elongated frame 10, of stout sheet metal, cut out of skeleton form for lightness, the means of attachment being an arm 11, extended radially from said eye 9, and a bolt 12, passing through said arm and screwed into the frame 10. The two frames 10 are bent inwardly and connected to each other at the top and bottom by means of bolts 13, passing through said frames and screwed into the ends of short sleeves 14, the inner periphery of which has hallways for the balls of the ballbearings carried in the pivotal outer ends of the body f of the jaws f, each one of which jaws has a slot f to receive one of the rollers r of the sprocket-wheel. Within the pivotal outer end of each jaw is fitted one member)" of the inner cone, the other member f being adjust-ably connected with the member f by a central screw f and a locking-pin f To connect the body f of each jaw with the front ends of each branch of the forked connecting-rods F or G, each front end has a large eye, Within which ball-bearings are placed, and to the circular inner cone of said bearing is secured an arm f which is parallel with the bodyf of the jaw and may be integral therewith, but is at a short distance from said jaw to permit the edge of the sprocket-wheel to pass between them while its roller 9 enters into the jaw. Each rocking jaw is supported by its pivoted body,as above stated. For clearness in Fig. 4 only two sprocketrollers are shown on the sprocketewheel, and in practice only a portion of two jaws is in engagement with the rollers r at the same moment. Theinner faces of the jaws are lined with hard steel to add to their lasting qualities.

The rear ends of each branch of each forked con necting-rod F or Gr are independently pivoted on the crank-pins of the shaft of the rear wheel and are part way overlying each other, as generally found at the hinge of scissors, to permit them to have a slight amount of r0- tation at that point independently of each other to compensate for the slight curvature of the are traveled by the swinging jaw on its pivot. v

The sprocket-wheel and the parts adjoining are inclosed in a casing 3 to keep out dust and dampness. Said casing may be of wood, metal, celluloid, or glazed leather, or may be of oil-cloth stretched over wires. Said casing has in its rear edge two openings on each side for the passage of the forked connecting-rods F or G, and said openings can be rendered dust-proof and damp-proof by means of flexible diaphragms of thin rubber or textile material. Surrounding the ends of the sleeve 6'of the pedal-shaft, within the outer conering 8, felt-washers 17 are placed to prevent the admission of dust at these points. Collars 5 upon the sleeve 6 prevent the ball-bearings from spreading.

The double-face sprocket-wheel O G is secured to the collar surrounding the sleeve 6 by means of three small bolts, and the three parts from which said wheel is made are bolted together at suitable points between the hub portion and the ends of the arms carrying the rollers r, the relative position of the arms on one side being about thirty degrees in the rear of each arm on the opposite side, and as the double-faced sprocket-wheel is completely built before mounting it on the shaft there is no danger of defect of adjustment relatively to their proper position on the shaft.

The frame of the machine is provided with a forward forked brace A located as usual.

In the operation of the machine the rocking up and down and also longitudinally of the rear end of the connecting-rod F or G causes. the jaw connections f at their front ends to be rocked and their slotted or jaw portion to be presented in the best positions to either receive one of the rollers r of the sprocket-wheel or to let one of said rollers escape from engagement with the sprocketwheel, so that the engagement of the parts will be noiseless.

As there must necessarily be. some moments in which the rollers of one of the sprockets on one side are not in working engagement with the slots of the rocking jaws f while entering and leaving them, a duplication of the mechanism is required to actuate the rear crank-axle during these intermediate movements. one roller of the sprocket-whee1 or a portion of two rollers in engagement with the rocking jaws on the ends of the forked connecting-rods, the friction is reduced to the minimum possible.

As there is only a little more than The diameter of the sprocket-wheels and the number of arms they are to carry or the.

and push are equal between the bearing-boxes and only one casing is required to protect the parts from dust. As the sprockets are mounted on a sleeve having its ends bearing directly in a bearing-box and it is in efiect a solid piece, with the cranks screwed therein, the danger of springing the crank-shaft is materially removed and also the danger of springing the sprocket-wheels.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim 1. In a bicycle, the combination of the axle of the rear wheel carrying two crank-pins, two divergent connecting-rods mounted at one end upon each crank-pin, each having at the opposite end an open-jaw connection pivotally mounted thereon, a frame supporting said connections and a sprocket-wheel having friction-rollers for engagement with the jaws of said connections substantially as described.

2. In a bicycle the combination of the axle of one of the carrying-Wheels, two crank-pins carriedby said axle, two divergent connecting-rods mounted at one end upon each crankpin, each having at the opposite end an open eye, ball-bearings in said eye consisting of outer cones, inner cones, and interposed balls, and an open-jaw connection having a side arm secured to the inner cone, with a frame and link supporting said connection, and a sprocket-wheel substantially as described.

3. In a bicycle, the combination of the axle of the rear carrying-wheel, two crank-pins carried by said axle, two divergent connecting-rods mounted at one end upon each crankpin, an open-j aw connection pivotally mounted upon each of said rods, a frame and link supporting said connections, the pedal crankshaft, and a double sprocketwheel centrally mounted upon said shaft, substantially as described.

4:. In a bicycle, the combination of the axle of the rear carrying-wheel, two crank-pins carried by said axle, two divergent connecting-rods mounted at one end upon each crankpin, an open-jaw connection pivotally mount ed upon each of said rods, the pedal crank shaft, a sleeve mounted upon said shaft, and a double sprocket-wheel mounted upon said sleeve cent-rally of its length, substantially as described.

5. In a bicycle, the combination of the axle of the rear carrying-wheel, two crank-pins carried by said axle, two divergent connect-- ing-rods mounted at one end upon each crankpin, each having at the opposite end an open jaw connection pivotally mounted thereon, the pedal crank-shaft, its sleeve, a double sprocket-wheel upon said sleeve, the frame of the machine, a secondary frame on each side of the sprocket-wheel, said secondary frames being united to the main frame, links pivoted to said secondary frames and carrying the open-jaw connections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOSMER TUTTLE. Witnesses:

E. E. MASSON, A. B. DEGGES. 

